Pelsaert’s sudden departure left the remaining survivors distressed, bitter and without a clear leader. Order on Beacon Island deteriorated quickly and fresh water supplies were critically low. Thirty people died of sickness or dehydration in the days following the wreck.

Amongst the survivors on Beacon Island was the Predikant (priest), Gijsbert Bastiaensz, his wife, Maria Schepens, their seven children and maid, Wybrecht Claasen. Anecdotal evidence found in the archives of Harderwijk, a small port in Gelderland, record an epic swim made by Wybrecht, who volunteered to return to the ship unaided, to seek water. She was successful and, although it was not clear how much water she was able to bring back to Beacon Island, the survivors would most probably have been buoyed by this feat after so much misfortune. A passing squall did bring water a few days later, which the survivors collected and rationed amongst the group.

Survivor camps

Little is known of the day-to-day existence of the stranded community on Beacon Island. Exactly where and how the survivors organised their encampments, what they ate and how they coped with their environment is scarcely documented in Pelsaert’s journal. In his account, the survivors are recorded as living in ‘tents’, although the exact number is unknown.

Jeronimus Cornelisz, using flotsam and jetsam from the ship, made his way to the coral shallows of Beacon Island some ten days after the wrecking event.